The wife of Ebonyi State Governor Chief Mary-Maudaline Nwifuru has organised a free cervical cancer screening for one thousand (1000) women in the state.
According to her, the programme with the theme “Ending Cervical Cancer Within a Few Generations, With the Goal of Raising Cervical Cancer and HPV Vaccination Awareness” was organised to curb the spread of cancer and other related ailments among women in rural areas and also provide timely care that will reduce morbidity and mortality from cervical cancer.
Flagging off the free cervical cancer awareness programme at Elinwovu General Hospital, Abakaliki Local Government Area of the state, Mrs Nwifuru noted that the programme was also geared at creating awareness and sensitising the women on the importance of health screening exercise.
The medical outreach organised by the First Lady’s office in collaboration with her foundation, Better Health for Rural Women, Children, and the Internally Displaced (BERWO), the Medical Women Association, and Alex-Ekwueme Federal University Teaching Hospital, Abakaliki, will further provide opportunities for women to screen and detect the early stage of cervical cancer.
She then called on all medical practitioners, stakeholders, and traditional rulers to show more commitment to educating, advocating for, and supporting women’s health to prevent health conditions.
On her part, Mrs Lilian Nwobashi, the President of the Medical Women Association, said that the programme was geared to sensitise women to the dangers of cervical cancer.
Nwobashi added that cervical cancer is one of the leading causes of death in women.
“We are starting with the first 200 to 300 women. All the partners are here to conduct free cervical cancer screening for all Ebonyi women.
“We want to catch them early and teach women when to go to the hospital and signs of illness,” Nwobashi said.
Mr Moses Ekuma, Commissioner for Health, and Mr Sunday Nwogba, Chairman of Abakaliki LGA, while stating that cervical cancer is the most common in the world, urged women to avail themselves of the opportunity to be screened.
The team leader of BERWO, Mrs Nkechi Echiegu, promised to use this month to increase awareness of the disease as she decried the increasing cases of cervical cancer in the state.
Echiegu said, ” We had to partner with her office and collaborate with BERWO and the Medical Women Association, Ebonyi chapter, to screen women for cervical cancer and give health talks on general cancer issues and other health-related issues.
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